Four North Carolina schools continue to be listed in the NCAA D2 Football Regional Rankings, a measure of which teams are being considered for playoff berths in a few weeks. Johnson C. Smith and Fayetteville State continue to be ranked in Super Region One, while Wingate and UNC Pembroke appear once again in Super Region Two.
The NCAA D2 playoff selection committee put schools in its initial rankings last week in alphabetical order – 10 teams in each of the four Super Regions. This week is the first time teams are listed in a power ranking format.
Johnson C. Smith, which beat Fayetteville State 17-14 on Saturday to improve to 8-1, is ranked third in its region behind Kutztown (9-0) and CIAA conference mate Virginia Union (8-1). Fayetteville State, which had its five-game win streak snapped by the Golden Bulls, is listed ninth in Super Region One.
D2 Football Reading List
GOLDEN DAY FOR GOLDEN BULLS: Johnson C. Smith clears big hurdle in CIAA win over Fayetteville State
NORTH CAROLINA D2 GAME DAY: Wingate slips past Lenoir-Rhyne, UNCP tops Barton, Chowan nips Erskine + more scores & recaps from across the state
Wingate edged Lenoir-Rhyne 38-37 in overtime to improve to 7-2. The Bulldogs rank fifth in Super Region Two. UNC Pembroke, which finished an 8-2 regular season Saturday with a win over Barton, sits in ninth.
The D2 tournament expands from 28 to 32 teams this season, with eight teams qualifying from each of the four Super Regions. Conference champions will make the field automatically.
This week’s rankings show us that Fayetteville State and UNC Pembroke are on the fringe of making the playoffs if they don’t win their respective conferences, most likely the first teams out.
UNCP has qualified for the Conference Carolinas championship against North Greenville on Nov. 15. North Greenville, which is not listed in the Super Region rankings, beat the Braves a few weeks ago 20-7.
Fayetteville State will need to beat Winston-Salem State in its regular season finale Saturday and hope Livingstone knocks off Johnson C. Smith to make the CIAA title game.
Wingate’s conference, the South Atlantic, does not have a championship game this season. Newberry (8-1, 7-1 SAC) has the inside track to win the league. The Wolves, Wingate and Emory & Henry each are ranked in Super Region Two.
The NCAA D2 selection committee will release another set of regional rankings next Monday, Nov. 10. Selection Sunday will be Nov. 16.
D2 Football Top 25 Update
Johnson C. Smith moved up two spots to No. 17 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25, released Monday. The Golden Bulls dropped one place to No. 19 in the AFCA D2 Coaches Poll.
Wingate rejoined the D2Football.com poll at No. 23 but did not even receive votes in the coaches poll. UNCP was in the “others receiving votes” section of the coaches poll.
NCAA D2 Football Regional Rankings
| REGION/RANK | SCHOOL | OVERALL DIVISION II RECORD | IN-REGION RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUPER REGION ONE | |||
| 1 | Kutztown | 9-0 | 9-0 |
| 2 | Virginia Union | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 3 | Johnson C. Smith | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 4 | Assumption | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 5 | Indiana (PA) | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| 6 | California (PA) | 6-3 | 6-3 |
| 7 | Slippery Rock | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| 8 | Frostburg St. | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 9 | Fayetteville St. | 5-3 | 5-3 |
| 10 | Charleston (WV) | 6-3 | 6-2 |
| SUPER REGION TWO | |||
| 1 | West Florida | 9-0 | 7-0 |
| 2 | Albany St. (GA) | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 3 | Benedict | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 4 | Newberry | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 5 | Wingate | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 6 | Kentucky St. | 7-1 | 6-1 |
| 7 | Delta St. | 7-2 | 6-2 |
| 8 | Carson-Newman | 6-2 | 5-2 |
| 9 | UNC Pembroke | 8-2 | 8-2 |
| 10 | Emory & Henry | 6-3 | 6-3 |
| SUPER REGION THREE | |||
| 1 | Ferris St. | 8-0 | 7-0 |
| 2 | Findlay | 9-0 | 9-0 |
| 3 | UIndy | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 4 | Ashland | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 5 | Augustana (SD) | 9-0 | 9-0 |
| 6 | Minn. Duluth | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 7 | Truman St. | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| 8 | Minnesota St. | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 9 | Upper Iowa | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 10 | Northwood | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| SUPER REGION FOUR | |||
| 1 | Harding | 9-0 | 9-0 |
| 2 | Central Wash. | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 3 | Northwest Mo. St. | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 4 | CSU Pueblo | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 5 | Pittsburg St. | 7-2 | 6-1 |
| 6 | Western Colo. | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 7 | Chadron St. | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 8 | Western Ore. | 6-1 | 6-1 |
| 9 | UT Permian Basin | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 10 | Southern Ark. | 6-3 | 6-3 |
CIAA Football Standings
After Nov. 1 Games
| School | Conference Record | Conference Pct. | Overall Record | Overall Pct. | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Union | 6-0 | 1.000 | 8-1 | .889 | W7 |
| Johnson C. Smith | 5-1 | .833 | 8-1 | .889 | W5 |
| Fayetteville State | 5-1 | .833 | 5-4 | .556 | L1 |
| Virginia State | 4-2 | .667 | 6-3 | .667 | W4 |
| Livingstone | 3-3 | .500 | 5-4 | .556 | W2 |
| Elizabeth City State | 3-3 | .500 | 3-6 | .333 | W2 |
| Winston-Salem State | 2-4 | .333 | 4-5 | .444 | L1 |
| Bluefield State | 2-4 | .333 | 3-6 | .333 | L3 |
| Shaw | 2-5 | .286 | 2-7 | .222 | L3 |
| Bowie State | 1-5 | .167 | 2-7 | .222 | L2 |
| Lincoln (PA) | 0-6 | .000 | 0-9 | .000 | L9 |
South Atlantic Conference Football Standings
After Nov. 1 Games
Conference Overall Team W-L PCT. PF PA W-L PCT. PF PA Newberry 7-1 0.875 237 211 8-1 0.889 286 211 Wingate 5-2 0.714 220 159 7-2 0.778 322 187 Carson-Newman 5-2 0.714 169 107 6-2 0.750 210 117 Emory & Henry 5-3 0.625 260 163 6-3 0.667 305 180 Catawba 4-3 0.571 196 175 6-3 0.667 304 211 Lenoir-Rhyne 4-4 0.500 216 162 5-5 0.500 269 235 Mars Hill 3-4 0.429 155 218 4-5 0.444 201 253 Anderson 3-5 0.375 172 180 5-5 0.500 241 194 UVA Wise 1-6 0.143 131 232 1-7 0.125 160 269 Tusculum 0-7 0.000 79 228 1-7 0.125 128 251
